3D PRINTING - A NEW TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT IN HEALTHCARE SECTOR

3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. One of the key advantages of 3D printing is the ability to produce complex shapes or geometries that would be otherwise impossible to construct by hand. This has lot of applications in the medical industry. 3D printing in healthcare is used for the development of new surgical cutting, drill guides, prosthetics as well as the creation of patient-specific replicas of bones, organs, and blood vessels. Recent advances of 3D printing in healthcare has led to lighter, stronger and safer products, reduced lead times and lower costs. It has significantly improved the patient comfort level, as the products are custom made according to their anatomy. APPLICATIONS: 1.Bio printing

One of the many types of 3D printing that is used in the medical device field is bio printing. Rather than printing using plastic or metal, bio printers use a computer-guided pipette to layer living cells(referred to as bio-ink), on top of one another to create artificial living tissue in a laboratory.

2. Surgery preparation assisted by the use of 3D printed anatomical models

Patient –specific organ replicas are created using 3D printers, which will help surgeons to practice on before performing complicated surgeries. This technique has been proven to speed up procedures and minimise trauma for patients. In Dubai, where hospitals have a mandate to use 3D printing liberally, doctors successfully operated on a patient who had suffered a cerebral aneurysm in four veins, using a 3D printed model of her arteries to map out how to safely navigate the blood vessels.

3. 3D printing of surgical instruments

Sterile surgical instruments, such as forceps, hemostats, scalpel handles and clamps, can be produced using 3D printers

4. Custom-made prosthetics using 3D printing

Prosthetic limbs can be developed using 3D printers that are customised to suit and fit the wearer

DISADVANTAGES OF 3D PRINTING ●Decrease in Manufacturing Jobs ●Limited Raw Materials ●Violation of Copyrights / Counterfeiting ●Production of hazardous Items REFERENCE: 1.https://tractus3d.com/ 2.https://www.medicaldevice-network.com/

Author

D Sharanya, Field Application Specialist

MedCuore Medical Solutions Private Limited